Church Planting

Church Planting Discipleship Evangelism Missions

3 Things That Increase Bold Evangelism

By on Sunday, June 4, 2023
bold evangelism

“I have tried and tried to get the believers in our fellowship to share the gospel, but they are fearful, shy and just don’t seem able to witness. Bold evangelism just isn’t happening!”

This is not unusual to hear from the church planters I am coaching. What can we do to increase boldness and help the disciples we work with to overcome their fears?

3 Things That Increase Bold Evangelism

1. Receiving the Holy Spirit

The classic biblical example is Peter in Acts Chapter 2. When Jesus was being tried, three times he denied even knowing Him. He certainly wasn’t witnessing at that point! But after he received the power of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, he stood in front of thousands and boldly proclaimed the gospel with authority and conviction. If your church members aren’t witnessing, pray for them to receive the power of the Holy Spirit. It will make a world of difference.

2. Practicing

Many people lack confidence to witness. They are embarrassed when they stumble over their words or don’t know what to say, how to answer questions, etc. After teaching them how to share their testimony, make sure to take time practicing it in a safe environment with other believers. Let them share it several times and get feedback. Do the same when training people to share a Creation to Christ story. Practice builds confidence and helps them to overcome fear of failure. read more

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Church Planting Discipleship Missions Women in ministry

When God Restores- Women Get Included in the Inheritance

By on Sunday, May 21, 2023
women in missions

God created women in His own image. They hold a special place in His heart. God is using women in missions today like never before! It has always been His intention to uplift and release women into their full potential. It is part of His salvation and His restoration process that women receive their inheritance in the Kingdom.

At the end of the book of Job, we see a picture of restoration. He has been through testing and trials and now God blesses and restores. When He restores, He doubles all Job had. Job 42:10 says, “When Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes. In fact, the Lord gave him twice as much as before!”

Another interesting thing comes up in this passage at the end of Job. It is about Job’s daughters. As God restored Job’s life, he gave him seven more sons and three more daughters. Here is the interesting part. It says in Job 42:15, “In all the land, no women were as lovely as the daughters of Job. And their father put them into his will along with their brothers.” Job, after God had tested and then restored him, included his daughters in his will- he gave the daughters an inheritance! This was very unusual in his culture and time. It speaks of the change of heart and the transformation in Job that God had brought about. It was a preview of how God wants to use women in missions!
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Church Planting Discipleship Missions

Baptism Questions- Are They Ready?

By on Sunday, May 14, 2023
baptism are they ready

There is a question many disciple makers face with new believers. It centers around baptism- are they ready?

In the last few blogs, we have been looking at questions and issues around baptism. baptism-are they ready?People often delay baptism thinking the new believer is not ready to take this step. They need to grow more in their faith first, they say. Maybe we are waiting for new believers to stop certain bad habits like smoking or drinking. Sometimes we wait to baptize because we want a large group to be baptized together. Others delay for a long time because they are hoping a spouse will also believe and they can be baptized together. Some delay because the person isn’t yet a legal adult. Perhaps we don’t want to have to fill the baptism tank too often, or take time out of our church service to include this ceremony more than once or twice a year.

How Do You Know If They Are Ready To Be Baptized?

When do you baptize someone after leading them to faith in Christ?

Again, it is important to look to scripture on these issues rather than looking for guidance only at our church traditions or what we have seen done around us. Baptism- are they ready? We need to examine the scriptures for answers. read more

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Church Planting Discipleship Missions

Discipleship Accountability: Avoid or Embrace?

By on Sunday, April 30, 2023

One of the things I appreciate about the T4T (Training for Trainers) approach is how every meeting begins in the first section with reporting in on what you have done the past week to apply what you learned before. Likewise, every meeting ends with the setting of new goals. How are you going to obey and put into practice what you learned in the lesson or story? This accountability loop is a very important part of making obedient disciples.

Friendly accountability

It goes much further than this though. We must develop an appreciation, even an embracing of friendly accountability in our lives as leaders personally. As we model this, our disciples see it. They begin to value it as well.

This will ensure that friendly accountability becomes part of the DNA of the movement. By upholding this value, the movement will be stable and strong even after you, as the coach, trainer, initiator, or leader move on. Accountability seems an unfriendly, even “dirty” word to many though.

Granted a lot of people have had bad experiences in their lives with heavy-handed or unkind accountability. Some leaders demand accountability. Some abuse it. In my context in Asia, many have had teachers who were harsh and cruel when they didn’t measure up to what was expected. As we introduce friendly accountability in these contexts we need to be aware of this. It is a big shift of mindset for people to welcome and embrace friendly accountability! read more

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Church Planting Discipleship Missions

What NOT to Depend on in Disciple Making

By on Sunday, April 2, 2023
discipleship

Discipleship, especially when you are wanting to make true disciple makers, is a process that can seem long and difficult. We often look for shortcuts.

Have you ever found yourself trying to go somewhere fast and then decided to take a shortcut? You see this little lane and you are pretty sure it will cut through to the main road? “I’ll go for it,” you think. It seems like a good idea that will save you time and get you there faster.

As you are driving along on your motorbike or in your car, suddenly, the road narrows and there is a huge truck parked in the road. You can’t get by because the road is too narrow. That has happened to me more than once. Another time, I came up the road and suddenly found a big pile of rocks dumped in the road for the construction of a nearby building. Then there were the times I took a shorter road but hit an avalanche. When this happens, you back up, turn around, and by the time you get back to where you started from, you are frustrated, annoyed and it is 15 minutes later but you are still at the same place. read more

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Church Planting Discipleship

5 Things That Destroy Discipleship Movements

By on Sunday, March 12, 2023
Death Factors

Some months ago I wrote about 6 Factors That Get Your Movement Moving.  It’s always good to look at positive things we can do to see greater fruit and growth!

It is also important to be aware of what kinds of things kill a Disciple Making Movement(DMM).  Sometimes we call these “Death Factors.” These are things to be extremely careful about.  While seemingly normal or innocent, if your goal is a multiplying movement, they will definitely “sink your ship.” When these things start to happen, you can be sure that the movement will stop growing.  If you are just getting started, the movement can die before it every really starts.  There are other “death factors” to consider, but here are five of the most common.

1. Bringing Outside Funding Into The Movement

In Acts 20:34-35 Paul says,  “You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions.  In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”  Paul went the extra mile to model tent making. He gave an example of locally generated funds. We need to train local believers that it is more blessed to give than receive.  We must protect the movements we start from the huge dangers of foreign funding. read more

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Church Planting Evangelism Missions

3 Keys to Finding a Person of Peace

By on Sunday, February 26, 2023
person of peace

Were you ever lost in the woods and couldn’t find your way out? Maybe you’ve played a video game and were stuck in a room (in the game). You couldn’t find the door to get to the next passageway or level. That is a difficult place to be! You wander around not making progress, getting more frustrated each moment; searching, searching, searching. Disciple making among the unreached can feel similar! “Where is that key person?” we wonder. Finding the Person of Peace is important to starting a Disciple Making Movement. It takes you to the next level.

A Person of Peace acts much like a doorway. They open the community to you and your message. They are a key influencers God has chosen. You work through them to reach the area. There are important points to remember when trying to find a Person of Peace.

The Person Of Peace Isn’t Always Who You Think They Will Be

We were working in a slum community. We wanted to find people of influence there. The head of the municipality was the natural one to approach. We asked him who the various leaders were in his area. He specifically directed us to a woman who was in charge of the women’s committee.

I immediately liked her. She was smart, about my age, and had obvious leadership giftings. She was very happy to meet us. Right away, she invited us into her home for tea. A few days later, she welcomed us for a delicious curry meal. She even called some of the other leaders to come and join us for food as well.

person of peace

“She must be a woman of peace!” I thought to myself.

Over the following months, our friendship developed. I continued to visit her often. We discussed the needs of the community and various possible projects. I shared the gospel and began to share Bible stories with her. She was open, always willing to listen. As the months went by, she heard many stories. She liked Jesus but was not willing to commit to following Him.

I knew that though she was a good friend and a helpful person to know there, she was not the Woman of Peace I was looking for. I had to keep sharing with others until I found that person. Key principles were learned through that process.

“When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.” Luke 10:5-7 NIV

3 Keys To Finding A Person Of Peace

1. A Person of Peace welcomes both you and your message.

There is a common mistake we make in trying to find the Person of Peace. We think if someone receives us and welcomes us into their home, they are the Person of Peace. This is sometimes true, but like in my example above, it is not always the case.

They are only a Person of Peace if they also welcome your message. read more

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Church Planting Discipleship Missions

Starting Strong with New Believers

By on Sunday, February 19, 2023

Starting strong with new believers is important. Unfortunately, many times we don’t do our discipleship job well as people come to Christ. Here is an example.

You shared the story of Jesus. At the end, you asked the question – Do you believe that what I’ve been sharing with you is true? Do you want to receive the free gift of salvation Jesus offers you today? They respond with a yes! Woohoo! Praise God! You pray with them introducing them to Jesus for the first time. He becomes their Lord and Savior. Things are going well. You are thrilled at what is happening in their lives!

What Is Next For New Believers?

It is at this critical point when the “slow down” factor often happens in our disciple making. This is not the time to reduce our engagement with this person. Not if we want to see a disciple making movement take place. Sometimes we don’t take the next steps because we don’t know what to do. Or perhaps we are just relieved that they are now “saved.” We feel we can relax just let them grow slowly by attending church.

A Critical Time

Immediately after someone receives Christ is as critical a time in their spiritual life. It is the same as the first month is for a newborn baby. We would never think of bringing a child into the world and then telling the baby, “Now come once a week to this meeting we have and you will get the food and care you need.” Would we? Of course not! Yet this is exactly what often happens with new believers.

If we train people in evangelism but don’t train them in how to disciple new believers, they don’t know what to do next. At this point, many simply invite the person to start attending church with them. That is all the follow-up they do. This is a major loss of opportunity for that person and for the movement. If we train on this issue and make a few key changes, we can see much greater multiplication!

There are a few critical things we must train our disciples to do with new believers.

new believers
Share the good news with boldness
1) Get them to immediately start sharing their story (testimony) with others.
2) Start meeting with them regularly to teach the basics of what it means to follow Christ.

Jesus Told New Believers To Immediately Share Their Testimony!

In Mark, chapter five, we read the story of Jesus casting many demons out of a man. The man begs Jesus to let him stay with him. How did Jesus respond?

“Jesus did not let him, but said, ‘Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.'”(Mark 5:19)

Immediately after this man met was set free, the Lord instructed him to begin evangelizing others. If Jesus felt new believers were ready to start ministry immediately, then we too can follow that model!

Teach Simple Baby Lessons

In addition to encouraging new believers to witness, start meeting with them often. They need to quickly learn some basics. Ying Kai, of T4T, calls these the Baby Lessons. There are different foundational discipleship tools you can use. They need to be simple and reproducible. Make sure you get the new believers to start praying, receiving from the Word of God daily, and connecting with their new spiritual family. For this to happen, those who led them to Christ will need to meet with them often. Generally speaking, I’d recommend a few times a week in the first few months.

Obstacles- Time and Training

What are the biggest obstacles to quality discipleship for new believers? They are training and time.

  • Training. We often train disciples to evangelize but don’t train them in how to disciple new believers. It is not hard to train them in this. Equipping in this way will make a huge difference in releasing multiplication. Give trainees a simple system to do this. A system makes it easier and less time-consuming than creating from scratch. (Sign up with the form below to learn how to use the oral culture friendly “Baby Lessons” we recommend).
  • Time. People with full-time jobs and families, don’t have a lot of free time to follow-up on those who respond. Encourage them to give adequate time to care for those who receive Christ. Show them how to train the new believers to witness to their friends and family. This may mean they will have less time for evangelism. That is okay.

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    Church Planting Discipleship Mindset Shifts

    How to Radically Increase the Lasting Nature of Your Fruit

    By on Sunday, February 12, 2023
    fruit that will last

    A core activity in YWAM’s Discipleship Training School (DTS) is regular one-on-ones. Staff meet individually with students to listen, pray and speak into their lives. One-on-one discipleship and individual decisions for Christ have been the primary strategy in missions for years. Did you know that in the book of Acts, there are 21 recorded conversions, and in 19 of those cases, it was a group that together decided to follow Jesus? Can you guess who the two individuals were?

    Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus was one of them. The Ethiopian eunuch’s conversion is the other. These are the only two examples in the entire book of Acts of people coming to faith alone. What should that stir us to consider as disciple-makers?

    Individualistic Western Culture

    Western culture is very individualistic in nature. American culture, in particular, values the rights and decision-making power of the individual. There has been some positive global impact that has come from this in the area of human rights. I want to acknowledge that as well as the Biblical understanding of God’s love for each individual. Unfortunately, when it comes to evangelism and disciple-making, a Western cultural worldview has been unknowingly imposed on non-western cultures. Many cultures, unlike the West, are group-oriented in their decision-making processes. read more

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    Church Planting

    Do You Take the Stairs or the Escalator? A Book Review

    By on Sunday, February 5, 2023
    Take the Stairs

    The brand new mall on the far side of town was bright with lights. We, along with about a thousand other people in our North Indian city, were excited to check it out. The air conditioning alone was worth going there for in our hot, humid city. Another attraction was that this mall had escalators! Many who visited the mall had never been on one before. I enjoyed watching them experience this modern convenience for the first time. Escalators can be a bit scary to get on if you’ve never ridden one before! They are a modern convenience that most of us have gotten pretty used to. We ride them without even thinking much about it. Stairs? Yeah, they exist somewhere in case there is a fire in the building.

    Rory Vaden, wrote a book back in 2012 that I must have missed though it was a best seller. Perhaps it was God’s timing that I read it this year. It has relevant principles for missionaries, Christian leaders, and DMM practitioners. Rory, an outspoken Christian, draws principles from his faith in God throughout. read more

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